The news from Washington has been coming at an unprecedented clip over the past week. At first, it might seem somewhat disjointed, but there is actually quite a measure of connectedness.
FBI and CIA
Trump has been salivating at the prospect of wreaking vengeance on the FBI. In Trump World, any attempts by the FBI to hold him accountable for his extensive crime spree during his first term are seen as “deep state” persecution.
Trump and Musk’s Narcissistic Personality Disorders
Someone with a narcissistic personality disorder (Trump and Musk) will be disconnected from any objective, legalistic assessment of their own actions.
The symptoms are glaringly obvious to anyone who has followed Trump’s rise, fall, and rebirth since 2015:
— Feels they deserve privileges and special treatment.
— Expects to be recognized as superior even without achievements.— Makes achievements and talents seem bigger than they are.
— Is preoccupied with fantasies about success, power, brilliance, beauty, or the perfect mate.
Source: Mayo Clinic
Trump’s revenge on the FBI is straightforward. He is seeking out anyone even remotely connected to any of the investigations into his malfeasance. Since his transgressions were many and varied, the cleansing of the FBI will cut deeply into the hierarchy, institutional knowledge, and history of the Bureau.
His more recent attack on the CIA is, by comparison, less obvious.
The agency was involved in the investigation during his first term into influence peddling in Ukraine, but only tangentially.
By seriously crippling the FBI and CIA—coupled with the firing of many Inspectors General throughout the government—enforcing our laws and protecting us from foreign and domestic threats becomes extremely problematic. It also means Trump, Musk, and the oligarchs have unfettered opportunities for grift and graft.
Without CIA oversight, Russia, North Korea, and China are now free to do whatever they want.
Repairing the damage to the FBI and CIA will take a generation or more. Recruitment, training, and seasoning will not happen quickly.
Bibi Netanyahu in Washington
The very first public statement during Netanyahu's visit with Trump in D.C. featured Trump’s feverish new “solution” to Gaza and the Palestinians.
It is no coincidence that Trump announced his grand plan near the beginning of his talks with Netanyahu. The Israeli PM has had a near-mythical ability to bend Trump to his will since the start of Trump’s first term in office.
“We'll own it {Gaza} and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous unexploded bombs and other weapons on the site, level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out," Trump said.
Trump even went as far as to say that the U.S. would build a "Riviera of the Middle East" in Gaza but didn't specify how he planned to do so.
There is almost always another agenda—including lining his own pockets with someone else’s money (in this instance, the American taxpayer)—whenever Trump utters a random thought. I’m quite certain he envisions a string of Trump-branded hotels, with the “bubbas” flocking there at $500 a night.
Netanyahu created a wasteland in Gaza and displaced two million residents. (My characterization of events in that region since Hamas invaded Israel is not meant in any way to rewrite Israel’s right to defend itself.) Trump then steps in and uses billions of our tax dollars to build a “protective wall” along the Mediterranean. He will next permanently station thousands of U.S. troops to prevent the Palestinians from returning (and to protect his hotels).
This is Trump’s version of ethnic cleansing—a slight variation on his grand plan for the U.S.: focus on people of color who are largely at the bottom of the economic ladder, demonize them, and justify displacing them.
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Weekend Joe
Joe Elliott
Carolann Connor
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